Sharp County record., 1887-01-06

ness for the transfxed insectsl Hath ths
Christ who said "Behold the fowls of ths
air. Himself never beheld the outrage,
heaped upon the brute creation. that can.
not articulate its griefl This Christ cana
not only to lift the human race out of its
trouble, but to lift out of pang and hard.
ship the animal creation.
In the glorious millenial time the chlt
shall lead the lion and play with the cocka.
trice only because the brute and reptils
shall have no more wrongs to aYenge. Ia
alleviate the condition OF the brute crea
ton Christ was born in the cattle pen. The
first bleat of the Lamb Of God was heard
amid the tired flOCks Of the Bethlehem
shepherds. The white horse of eternal
victory stabbed in barn.
But notice also in this account the threa
Christmas presents that are brought to the
manger-gold, frankincense and myrrh
Gold to Christ. That means all the afu.
ence of the world surrendered to Him
For lack of money no more asylums limping
on their way like the cripprcSYhOm they !
helped, feeling their slow way IKE the
blind people they sheltered; millions d
dollars for Christ where there are ncAr
thousands for Christ; railroads owned BY
Christian stockholders, and governed BY
Christian directors, and carrying passen.
gers and freight at Christian prices; George
Peabodys and Abbot Lawrences and James
Lenoxes no rarity. Bank OF England,
Bourse of France, United States Treasury
all the moneyed institutions Of the world
for Christ-the gold for Christ. Gold not
merely paid the way for Joseph and Mary
and the Divine fugitive into Egypt, but it
was typical of the fact that Christ's way
shall be paid all around the world. The
gold for Christ, the silver for Christ the
Jewels for Christ. The bright, round, beau.
tiful jewel of world set like a solitaire on
the bosom Of Christ.
But | notice that these wise men also
shook out of their sacks the myrrh The cat
tie came and they snuffed at it; they did not
eat it, because it was bitter. The pungent
gum resin of Abyssinia called myrrb
brought to the feet Of Christ. That means
bitterness-bitter betrayal, bitter persecu.
ton, bitter days of suffering, bitter nights
of woe, myrrh; that is what they strewed
His path with all the way from the cattle
pen in Bethlehem to the mausoleum at
Joseph's country seat. Myrrh. Yea, says
the Psalmist: "All Thy garments smell Of
myrrh.n That is what the wise men
wrapped in the swaddling clothes Of the
Babe: that is what the Marys twisted in
the shroud of crucfed Christ. The
myrrh. Oh, the height, the depth, the
length, the breadth Of Saviours sorrOwl
Myrrh. Well might the wise men shake
out the myrrh.
But notice. also, from another sack they
shake out the frankincense. Clear up to
the rafters Of the barn the air is filled with
the perfume, and the hostlers and the
camel drivers in the further part Of the
building inhale it, and it floats out on the
air until passcrs-by wonder who in that
rough place could by accident have dropped
box of alabaster Frankincence; that IS
what they burned in the censer in the
ancient temple Frankncense; that means
worship Frankncence; that's to fill all the
homes, and all the churches, and all the
capitals, and all the nations, from cellar to
stalactited cave clear up to & silvery raft
ers of the starlit dome. Frankincense;
that is what we shake out from our hearts
to-day, so that the nostrlls Of Christ once
crimsoned with the hemorrhage OF the
cross, shall be flooded with the perfume OF
j. worfei,o adoratAon. FTS-AlEince0sc Frank
incense in song, and sermon, and hand'
shaking, and decoration. Praise Him,
mountains and hills, valleys and seas, and
skies, and earth and Heavcn-cyclOne, in
your trumpets; northern lights, with your
flaming ensign; morning, with your castles
of cloud, and evening, with your billowlng
clouds Of sunset!
Do you know how they used to hold the
censer in the olden time! Here is metal
pan and the handle by which it was held.
In the inside Of this pan were put living
Goals. On the top Of them IS a perforated
cover. In square box the frankincense
was brought to the temple. This frankin'
cense was taken out and sprinklcd oVerthe
living Goals, and then the perforated cover
was put on, and when they were all readt
for worship, then the cover was lilted
from this censer and from all the other
censcrs and the purfumcd smoke arose un-
til it hung amid all the folds and dropped
amid all the affairs, and then rose IN great
columns Of praise outside or above the tenn
pie, rising clear upward to the throne OF
God.
So we have two censers to-day of Christ
mas frankiucense. Here is the one cenSer
of earthly frankincense. On that we put
our thanks for the mercies of the past year,
the mercies Of all our past lives, individual
mercies, family mcrcies, and our hearts,
burning with gratitude, send alo1t the III,
cense of praise toward the throne %
Christ Bring on more incense, and mgher
and higher let the columns Of praise as
cend. Let them wreathe all these pillars
and hover amid all these arches, and theh
soar to the throne.
But there is the other censer, Of Heaven
ly thanksgiving and worship. Let them
bring all their frankinccnse-the cheruOin
bring theirs and the seraphim theirs, anu
the one hundred and forty and four thou-
sand theirs, and all the eternities theirs,
and let them smoke with perfume on tns
Heavenly Censer, until the cloud canOpleo
the throne Of God Then take these tWo
censers-the censer of earthly franklh'
Cense, and the Censer Of Heavenly 1rallh'
incense-and | swing them before tne
throne, and then clash them together III
one great Alleluia unto Him to whom tn0
wise men Of the East brought the goIu'
and the myrrh, and the frankincense, Wheh
" the star which they saw in the east "en'
before them"
"LIFE is real-life is earnest" There u